


That One Word

by inukagome15



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-09 17:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8901982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inukagome15/pseuds/inukagome15
Summary: There's a certain word Steve's been careful not to say, namely because he knows Tony has certain feelings about it. And that's fine. Isn't it?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fandomfrolics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomfrolics/gifts).



> There were so many good prompts you gave me! I couldn't just pick one but I had to. I definitely want to do some of the others at some point, though! So I will. Later. When I can post without fear of spoiling the surprise of my identity. :D
> 
> This is 616 fluff/angst with Steve and Tony in an established relationship! And Tony being rather a doofus but Steve loves him anyway.  
> It's not really set in any particular time aside from before Civil War, since all that baggage is...rather a lot to tote around.
> 
> Happy Holidays!

“You know it was my turn to pick the movie.”

“You picked the movie  _last_  time.”

“We didn’t finish it, remember? We had a call—”

“What – you want to pick it twice now, is that it?”

“No, because it’s going to be  _the same movie_. The one we didn’t  _finish_  last time. And the one that you gave me as a present but we’ve never been able to watch it because we’ve been too busy.”

“Because  _you’ve_  been too busy?”

Steve huffed, arms folded across his chest and eyes narrowed at Tony. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

Tony tilted his head, giving him a beatific smile. “Am I?”

Steve refused to budge because it  _was_  ridiculous. “Yes.”

His effort paid off a few seconds later when Tony shrugged and plopped down on the couch, tossing the remote at him. “All right. But it’s definitely my turn next time.”

“So long as we don’t get another call,” Steve said, turning to click the TV on. He was unsurprised to find that the movie was already queued up and ready to go.

Sometimes he thought Tony got a kick out of riling him up.

“You’re ridiculous,” Steve said again when he joined Tony on the couch, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

Tony glanced askance at him, the corner of his mouth tilting up. “You like me, anyway.”

Steve pressed his fingers to Tony’s shoulder, pulling him closer. “Yeah,” he said quietly, something else burning on his tongue that he knew Tony didn’t want to hear. “I do.”

_You know I love you._

He didn’t want to hear Tony say that he shouldn’t.

The heart didn’t listen to rationalities, especially if they were reasons that didn’t make sense.

* * *

Their movie night wasn’t interrupted by any villains making an appearance. What happened after the movie was also uninterrupted and Steve found himself in a rather bright mood as he went through his routine the next day.

Maybe everything wasn’t perfect, but it was far more perfect than anything else he’d ever hoped to have in this life. He had time to work the kinks out, and he wasn’t alone anymore.

That was the most important thing, really.

Because he…

Being alone wasn’t good.

“Someone’s in a happy mood,” Tony said when they met up for training later that afternoon.

Steve took a moment before responding, picking the words carefully. “Can’t I be happy that I’m in a relationship?”

“Must be a good relationship,” Tony said noncommittally, rolling his shoulders.

Steve made sure to meet Tony’s eyes, giving him a small smile. “It is.”

There was a quick blink that Steve would have missed if he hadn’t been paying attention. Tony didn’t say anything else, tilting his head and spreading his feet to assume the basic stance that Steve had taught him when they first started lessons.

Repressing a sigh, Steve slipped into his own stance.

It had to be slow. He knew that.

It had gotten him to this point after years of dancing around, and he could be patient a little while longer.

Even if he used his abilities to pin Tony to the floor and kiss him senseless.

Sparring was good for  _something_.

* * *

“You know I had him, right?” Tony griped, dropping his helmet off to the side. His hair stuck to his forehead, damp with sweat.

“Being electrocuted was part of the plan?” Steve asked, annoyed. He was glad that the rest of the team had scattered after debriefing, clearly sensing there was going to be an argument.

“ _Yes_.” Tony yanked off a gauntlet, frowning as it crackled ominously. He let it drop to the table before pulling off the other. “I’m protected against that – you aren’t.”

Steve hoped his tone didn’t sound as incredulous as he felt. “Your metal suit is protected against electricity.”

From the look Tony shot him, Steve suspected he’d failed. “ _I’m_  protected – not the  _suit_. And  _you’re_  wearing nothing but reinforced leather and chainmail. Are you interested in becoming shish kebab next time?”

Steve bit the inside of his mouth, pulling in a breath. “Let’s not do that again at all, okay? I…I couldn’t handle seeing that before, and I definitely can’t handle seeing that  _now_.”

Tony paused, eyes flicking over to Steve. It was a long moment before he responded, his voice quiet. “You and me both. Why do you think I do it? If one of us has to get hurt, it should be the one who can take more punishment.”

“You’ve got the suit, I’ve got the serum.” Steve stepped forward, touching the back of Tony’s neck. He regretted not taking his gloves off when he’d had the chance. “And most of your circuits seem to be fried.”

Tony leaned back into his touch. “Better the circuits than you, Cap.”

“Better neither of us, Shellhead.” Steve pulled his cowl off and leaned in to press a kiss to Tony’s cheek. “That’s what we’ve got the team for. We could’ve figured something out that didn’t involve you being electrocuted.”

Tony turned his head to kiss Steve back, the touch brief before he pulled away. “Is that a plan, Winghead?”

“Nah,” Steve said, stroking his thumb over Tony’s neck. “More like a promise.”

“Better make it one you can keep,” Tony said.

“I will.” And rather than say what he wanted –  _I love you, I love you, I love you_  – Steve reached down to take off the chest plate. Once it was gone, he stepped close and hugged Tony to him.

There wasn’t a chance Tony could hear it if he said it into his skin.

* * *

“I love you,” Steve said. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I want to hold onto you. I can’t imagine fighting with anyone else by my side. I…hope you understand that.”

There was no response.

Not that Steve had expected one given he’d just given that speech to a mirror.

His reflection looked decidedly unimpressed and also rather constipated.

Steve’s stomach swam with butterflies, which probably explained the constipation.

“It’s fine,” he told his reflection. “It’s  _fine_. He loves you. He said it himself.” Granted, Tony had been talking in his sleep, but there weren’t many ways to misconstrue “I love you, Steve” even when the speaker was asleep.

Now if only Steve could convince Tony he loved him, too.

And that it wasn’t a mistake.

“I love you,” Steve repeated, meeting his own eyes in the mirror.

He could do this.

He was  _Captain America_.

But then again…he was also Steve Rogers. And Steve Rogers was rather terrified.

* * *

“I have something to tell you,” Steve said an hour and several private pep talks later, sitting down next to Tony in his workshop.

He’d carefully decided  _not_  to say “We need to talk,” largely because the last time he’d accidentally used that phrase Tony had dropped his coffee and also hit Peter with a wrench. Peter had been fine; the coffee had not.

“Oh?” Tony sounded distracted, hands deep in the circuitry of his chest plate.

Normally Steve would love to see Tony tinker away at his suit, but now was not a good time. Not with the nerves still swimming through his stomach and making him decidedly queasy. “Tony.”

There must have been something in his tone that alerted Tony, since he stopped what he was doing to look up at him in concern. After a moment, Tony pulled his hands out and dropped the fine tools he had been working with, turning to face Steve fully. “What is it?”

He had a plan. Stick to the plan, Rogers—

“I love you,” Steve blurted out. And then his voice stuck in his throat and he couldn’t get anything else out.

That had  _not_  been the plan.

Tony looked rather like someone had hit him over the head with a wrecking ball, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. “You—”

Gathering whatever courage he could, Steve surged forwards. “I love you,” he repeated quickly. “God, Tony, you’ve no idea how happy you make me. I hope I make you as happy as you’ve made me, and I never want to stop fighting by your side. You’ve been a rock in this future, and I can’t believe how damn  _lucky_  I am to know you. How lucky I am to have you as my friend, and I can’t believe I lucked out on having you like  _this_.” He reached out to take hold of Tony’s still hands, loving the warmth and feel of calloused skin against his own.

The speech was rubbish and not at all what he’d planned, but it was everything he needed to say and everything he hoped Tony heard.

“You—” Tony was blinking rapidly, sounding stunned. “Am I dreaming? Did someone stick me in a machine?”

“It’s real,” Steve said. “I’m real and you’re real and this is real. It’s not a dream. I hope you don’t think the last several months were a dream either.”

“That wasn’t a dream.” Tony dropped his eyes to their hands. “But…I thought…I thought you’d move on. Since I wasn’t…I wasn’t giving you what you wanted.”

“You were giving me everything.” Steve squeezed Tony’s hands reassuringly. “ _Are_  giving me everything,” he corrected himself. “I want to give you the same.”

“You already are.” Tony was smiling helplessly, eyes wide and shining. “I…you’ll probably have to tell me again, you know.”

Steve let out a relieved exhale, heart pounding in his chest. “I will.”

“More than once.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Preferably not to a mirror.”

“You…” Steve paused, frowning. “How do you know that?”

“You weren’t exactly quiet, sweetheart,” Tony said, smiling widely. “I especially liked the part where you were telling yourself to ‘buck up, buckaroo’ and swearing in Italian.”

Pushing back his mortification, Steve slid his chair closer until their knees knocked together and he could lean forward. “I’ll tell you over and over, as many times as you need to hear it. Because I love you and can’t believe you said yes to this.”

“I’m the lucky one. No, shush, I am.” Tony kissed Steve before he could protest.

“We’re both lucky,” Steve insisted, although he wasn’t sure how much of that Tony understood given he’d said it into Tony’s mouth.

At this point, it didn’t really matter.

He’d said what he wanted, and he knew it would be fine now.

He could say more later. When Tony wasn’t doing things with his tongue that Steve hadn’t known were possible.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! :D


End file.
